Scandivar (Region)
Scandivar, also known as "The True North", "The Iron Land" and "The Land of the Linnorm Kings", is a region in the far north of Borczeg, farther north than the Nine Kingdoms. It is the northernmost land in Borczeg south of the Reach and the Crown of the World. Scandivar is the ancestral homeland of the Ulfen people and are a kingdom as wild and untameable as the people it has spawned. Nestled on the north western tip of Borczeg, it is a realm of taiga and marshland that spends much of the year frozen beneath layers of snow, a place utterly inhospitable to all but the hardiest of people. 'Government' Scandivar has no central government to speak of. Instead, it is a series of smaller kingdoms united by their common Ulfen heritage. Each of these smaller kingdoms is based around a single large town and led by a Jarl, the only exception being the kingdom based around Trollheim, which instead is ruled by a Castellan (a military leader). Like the ancient Linnorm Kings of old, the kings of Scandivar are not considered fit to rule until they defeat a giant in since combat, ensuring only the mightiest warriors ascend to lead their people. Within their domains, Jarls have absolute authority over their subjects. Conflicts between these small kingdoms are commonplace but are not usually settled with wars. There are currently seven kingdoms, though this number has fluctuated in the past. They are: Broken Bay, the Grungir Forest, Hagreach, Icemark, the Ironbound Islands, Southmoor and the Thanelands. 'History' When the kingdom known as Scandivar first came into being no one is sure, just as no one is sure what the land may have been called in those distant days. For much of history, Scandivar have been raiders, launching lightning strikes against ships and coastal areas of the kingdoms to their south. The Winter War The oldest legend of the Ulfen people and the earliest records of their history is the Winter War. Despite the long and glorious (in their opinion) deeds of their people, there is a dark stain on the history of the land that haunts the Iron Men to this day and makes its northern borders a dangerous place: Irrisen, home of the Mammoth Lords and the Lands of Always-Winter. The land that forms modern Irrisen was not always a separate land, and its perpetually wintered plains were once part of Scandivar. A figure known only as the Ice Queen, or the Winter Witch, conquered the lands in under 30 days, invading with her armies of icy fey and blue-skinned trolls, enslaving the eastern lands and brutally slaughtering anyone that resisted. The situation was so dire that a gambit sent children from across Scandivar to ask for aid from the ancient chiefs in what is now the modern-day Nine Kingdoms to be kept as wards in exchange for aid. The Long Winter brought the Winter Men, the undead ice wights of the Ice Queen, the Mammoth Lords (Forsworn and Giants who tamed the massive beasts in the north) and white goblins into Scandivar. The Winter was only broken by the ancient Ulfen hero, Ragnar Lightbringer, who drove back the ice with his flaming sword and it is said bartered a peace with the Ice Queen. The Winter Wall was erected soon after, and while centuries or even millenia have passed, the Ulfen still hold a grudge. The border remains well-guarded but until the Ulfen of Scandivar can unite under a single ruler, retaking Irrisen and slaying the Ice Queen remains impossible. The Old Empire The Ulfen were known as the scourge of the Old Empire. Several crusades were launched to civilize their frozen lands, but the Ulfen fought them back every time and increased the frequency and ferocity of their raids in return. The Ulfen launched a series of raids and even managed to sack several major Arthedain cities. In 112 BCE, Emperor Chelan the Ordained rode to Scandivar. Believing he was descended from the Seven themselves, he was highly religious and proclaimed himself the High Father of the Faith in Borczeg and Emperor both, and his reign focused on evangilizing the south and the north and building several great cathedrals. However, the missionaries who went to Scandivar did not come back or send ravens with news of his progress, so he took it upon himself to meet the "heathens" himself. The Ulfen met him in the Fields of Iron-Ice, along the eastern border of Scandivar. The Emperor proclaimed that their lands now belonged to the Empire and that they must kneel and accept the Faith of the Seven or be destroyed. The Ulfen laughed and gave him a counter-offer in the form of the pickled heads of his missionaries. "Take your pickled faith and ride south, green fool and worship your soft gods or you will join them", said the Jarl. Emperor Chelan believed he was invincible, being the son of a group of gods and drew his blade to proclaim the beginning of a crusade against Scandivar. The Ulfen laughed. Lasting only forty minutes, it was the shortest crusade in the history of the Faith and is known as the Lunchtime Crusade. Temeria Invasion A more recent attempt at an invasion was once launched by Temeria in 402 AD, when the nation attempted an invasion of a number of border cities, but the attacks were quickly repelled by local inhabitants. Poviss Wars Scandivar has historically clashed often with their neighbor Poviss. While they have been fighting since Poviss was an Imperial Province, the bloodiest of these wars took place in 604 AD. The incessant raiding of the Ulfen along the coast of Poviss drove the kingdom to ally with Redania, who desired Scandivar's vast iron deposits and together they launched a full-scale invasion to fight back, both by land and sea. The majority of the songs about this war, which referred to as The War of Three Armies, though more often informally called "The White War" by Ulfen, tells of White Estrid, an Ulfen Queen who led the armies of her late husband after he was struck down, her family slaughtered and keep burned. Rallying more than a thousand ships, Estrid led a brutal campaign against the Poviss and Redanian foes, sacking several major cities along the coast. Her enemies grew concerned she could fully unite the Ulfen and sought to kill her by attempting to invade the city of Halgrim, where Estrid was rousing forces. She led a force that repelled the invasion. The single Imperial ship of survivors was sent back home unarmed, with the pickled heads of their compatriots and a note that reads, "Thanks for the steel", to serve as a lesson to their king. Following the Battle of Halgrim, Estrid led a daring sea raid into the Poviss city of Nisroch, after which she breached a Redanian blockade at the Arch of Aroden before sacking Novigrad. It is said that when Poviss and Redenia emissaries found her, Estrid was sitting in the Duke's house, wearing his crown and his robe, her feet on the table, drinking a goblet of wine. The emissaries were allegedly sent back home with their heads shaved and stripped nude, covered in bruises. Poviss and Redania withdrew their forces soon after. Geography The lands of Scandivar sit in the north-westernmost corner of Borczeg, where the land meets the Steaming Sea and the Stormspear Mountains, which separate it from the eternal ice of the Reach. Not all of Scandivar's kingdoms are based on the mainland. The kingdom of Jarl Holstodson is based around a group of large islands known as the Ironbound Isles, which jut out into the Steaming Sea; many of these islands are outside the control of Holstodson or any of the other kingdoms. Scandivar is bordered on land only by two other realms: the hated realm of Irrsen to the north and Poviss to the east. The lands of Scandivar is a cold, frozen place made up mostly of taiga and marshland, with much of its geography carved from the land by ancient glaciers. The land does not easily support agriculture, though it is filled with game and rich wildlife. The coastal areas are kept warmer by the Steaming Sea, but are also buffeted by constant rain and snow. The coastal region is mountainous are contains the majority of the region's plant life. Deep, large rivers called fjords criss-cross this region, where many of Scandivar's men dwell. The Seven Kingdoms Scandivar is a fractured nation, jestingly referred to by many as the "Land of Ten Thousand Kings". 'Broken Bay' Broken Bay is one of the seven current Scandivar kingdoms, comprising a peninsula and large islands of Aegos and Orthost off the coast of the mainland. Highpoint Tower, a massive lighthouse and place of worship for the Drowned God, can be found here. A popular legend in Broken Bay tells of their great Sunken City, which supposedly sunk into the Steaming Sea, creating the bay between the mainland and Aegos Island. The men of Broken Bay are considered cruel and wild, even by Ulfen standards. The capitol is located in the Hold of Bildt and is ruled by Jarl Ingimundr the Unruly. 'Grungir Forest' The dark, haunted Grungir Forest can be found in the southern lands of Scandivar, close to the Poviss border. Many gnomes are found here and the mysterious Norns are said to hold sway within its borders. The men of Grungir Forest honor the Old Ways of Arendell, though they are still Iron Men. A gateway to the First World of Arcadia, the legendary homeland of the Fey, is said to be located here and an order of Druids known as the Circle of the Moon guards the gateway, it is said, and they are said to ride on the backs of horned, wooly lizards. The frozen pines can be found here, as can the Lair of the legendary White Dragon Fafnheir. The capitol is located in Jol and its ruler is the half-Ulfen/half-elf Jarl Rollo Oldheim of the Leaf. 'Hagreach' The northernmost of the seven current kingdoms of Scandivar. Hagreach's lands are mostly open tundra. There are only a few small pine forests and chain of hills in the south. Beyond the settlements, Hagreach is a wild, cold and desolate region, full of dangerous beasts and Irriseni raiders. Wolves, drakes, trolls and other more fearful monsters roam the region and almost every little copse and dell in the region is used as a lair of something dangerous. Only organized groups able to fight travel the area. Blackraven's support is always in high demand. Hagreach's inhabitants are mainly engaged with hunting and subsistence agriculture but great effort is always expended patrolling the border. They also work some small iron, silver and gem mines. The trade in gems they produce lets the region import weapons and extra food. The capitol is in Trollheim, which is ruled by Castellan Freyr Darkwine and Commander of the Order of Blackravens, who patrol the north and protect its people from monsters and the frozen horrors of Irrisen. He is the respectful de-facto ruler of Hagreach and has no plans to claim the throne. 'Icemark' Icemark is the north-westernmost of the realms in Scandivar and is home to the Varki ethnicity of Ulfen, who claim to be half-Forsworn. Unlike the other lands claimed by Scandivar, no Jarl has ever ruled in Icemark and today no one person claims rulership of the region; it is instead constantly fought over by various warlords. The Varki earn their living as fishers, hunters and trappers, as well as herding the reindeer of the northern tundra. They follow these herds wherever they go and pay no attentions to borders or boundaries, traveling into other kingdoms or even into Irrisen. Seer's Home is the only major settlement in Icemark and therefore the de-facto capital. Ironbound Isles The Ironbound Isles are a chain of islands that stretch out for over 300 miles, though only the northernmost of the Isles are truly ruled by the Ulfen. Most of the islands are uninhabited, or inhabited by fugitives and outlaws. The island of Battlewall is home to the Isles' capitol of Halgrim, the famed site of the Battle of Halgrim, where White Estrid defeated the combined navy of Redania and Poviss. It is ruled by Jarl Ivar Holstodson. 'Southmark' Despite its relatively large size, Southmark is the least important of the seven Ulfen kingdoms, lacking organization, population, reputation and resources. It is located south of Grungir forest in one of the least civilized regions of the Lands of Scandivar. The coastline is ragged, with few natural harbors and hundreds of miles of desolate moors and boglands. Only a small region around the kingdom's capital of Windheim in the central part of Southmark, is cultivated and relatively safe. The city of Windheim is the largest settlement in the kingdom but is a ramshackle and disorganized mess of a town run by a Jarl who is as much a scavenger as a king, named Opir Eightfingers. The bogs, hills and mountains are dangerous because of wild animals and monsters, but the greatets danger comes from groups of giants in the region. There are Hill Giants in the lowlands, Stone Giants in the Kodar Mountains and many ogres and trolls. Traveling Southmark requires organized and well-armed groups and every settlement has strong walls to withstand a giant assault. A green dragon is rumored to lair in the far reaches of the region, usually near the coastline and is rarely seen. The giants, trolls and worse monstrosities dwelling in the eastern part of Southmark are incidentally responsible for guarding the southernmost border between Scandivar and Poviss. It was once known as Old Cyrusian and ruled by the descendants of giants who survived the Jotun Wars of ages past. The giants were often targets of glory-seeking Ulfen warlords but under Queen Lemaru's rule in 450 BD, the giants marched north in what is called the Giantkin War. The army of giants managed to reach and lay siege to Kalsgard. At this time, the Ulfen Kingdoms decided to fight back. Jarl Ulvass repelled the giants and drove them back into Old Cyrusian. When the Ulfen reached the capital city of the giants, Queen Lemar, in desperation, made a bargain with a demon that destroyed the city of Torandey, along with both armies. By 440 BD, all giant tribes had been driven into the Kodar Mountains or to the Ironbound Isles. For many generations the land was claimed by dozens of barbarian tribes. In 592 AD, Jarl Eskir Honeytongue claimed the area and established the Ulfen kingdom of Southmark. He founded the city of Windheim on the ruins of Torandey to serve as his new capital. 'Thanelands' The Thanelands are located in southern Scandivar, in the heart of the Fjordlands, as well as the peninsula of Jutland and 443 small, named islands; only 21 of these islands are inhabited in any way. Many of the larger islands are connected by bridges. The Thanelands are mostly found throughout the Fjordlans, though much of it is flat with little elevation. A sizeable portion of the Thaneland's terrain consists of rolling plains while the coastline is sandy, with large dunes. Its capital is Kalsgard and it is ruled by High King Sveinn the Blood-Eagle. 'Economy' Agriculture does not play a large part of the Ulfen economy, as the growing season so far north is very short and the ground is hard and filled with stones. The Ulfen follow the Old Way, which involves raids in the south and paying the Iron Price, where they take textiles, weapons, food and other luxuries they cannot manufacture themselves. These raiding missions are a vital necessity as the winters are long and starvation is an ever-present danger. 'Inhabitants' The Ulfen (OOL-fen) are a human ethnicity that area feared all along the coasts of Borczeg for the fierce and merciless raiding they conduct in their longboats. They are sometimes referred to as Vikings, though this may more specifically be applied to Ulfen warriors. They are renowned for their height and prowess as warriors. Ulfen bodyguards are considered a highly desirable thing around the courts of the Nine Kingdoms. The Ulfren are infamous as raiders but are also accomplished explorers and colonists. Appearance The Ulfen normally boast physiques larger than the average northman, often standing no less than six feet, with the women only a few inches shorter. They have fair skin and their hair is usually blonde, straw brown or brown and is normally worn long and in a braid by both by men and women, although women's braids tend to be more elaborate. Men also frequently wear bears and mustaches. Their clothing is tailored for their cold environment, with fur being a commonly used material. They decorate their clothes with jewelry formed intoa braid made out of horn, ivory, bronze or silver. Necklaces are often worn made of narwhal horn, mammoth ivory or amber. 'Culture' The Ulfen put a high value on appearance despite their reputation for savagery. They carefully braid their hair or else have long, flowing locks and dress themselves in fine furs and simple, dark clothes. The Ulfen of Scandivar are sailors, traders and raiders. Most have a sense of adventure. The culture of the Ulfen revolves around the Old Way. Strength, glory, courage, boasting and martial prowess are the most important things to the Ulfen people. Duels, wergild, paying the Iron Price and ritual execution are common occurances in the Scandivar culture. 'Religion' While some men of Scandivar honor the Old Gods, the vast majority pay homage to the Drowned God, whose religion governs most of their life. Seafaring and water are very important, both culturally and symbolically. 'Gender Roles' The role an Ulfen is expected to fulfill depends on their gender, though the majority of Ulfen are farmers, trappers, fisherman or laborers. Both genders are common to see as warriors and adventurers. In terms of gender specific roles, Male Ulfen are most likely to become huntsmen or priests of the Drowned Gods. A small number of women are able to be trained to become Wind Sisters, maidens who tame an aerial mount and use it to fly from isolated settlement to isolated settlement. 'Language' The Ulfen speak Common as well as their own language, Skald, a lilting tongue full of long, complex words. 'Competition' Ulfen men love competition, both those of an athletic variety as well as those that involve the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Athletic competitions are most often held at the start of winter and can involve climbing ice walls, throwing pieces of timber, pulling sleds, throwing axes or running on foot or in snowshoes. Rowing or sailing competitions are also popular, as is swimming. Drinking competitions have given Ulfen men the reputation for being boorish louts, which is not altogether undeserved. These drinking contests only happen during special feasts, however, and any men who engage in them outside of these festivles are often looked down upon. 'Duels and Feuding' Personal honor and sworn oaths are greatly valued by the average Ulfen and duels are popular pastime. These are genetally practiced with axe and shield, and end at first blood and are quickly forgotten. Feuds, on the other hand, are much more serious and can arise over matters as tribial as how to best mend nets or fishing rights over a lucrative salmon spawning territory. Feuds generally involve whole families or even clans, and can also involve raiding. 'Thralls' Ulfen traditionally keep Thralls, slaves who serve them for a set amount of time, after which they are set free. Thralls are generally captured in battle or condemned to their service after committing a crime by a special court known as a thingmar. No Ulfen, not even chiefs or jarls, are immune from this punishment given a serious enough crime. Children born to thralls are always free, and thralls may file complaints against cruel or unfair treatment by their masters. This is generally done very cautiously, however, as it brings great shame to the master and often invites retribution. 'Lycanthropy' Unlike most other cultures, Ulfen don't consider the curse of lycnthropy to be especially dishonorable and believe it is a blessing by the nature spirits.